Customer Reviews

Dinner First, Me Later?

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

What would you do if your celebrity crush suddenly moved into the neighborhood and was still as enticing as ever? Alicia is a divorcee who's sworn off men since discovering her wealthy husband with the pool boy. At first treated like a pariah by her suburban Chicago neighbors, she's now their friend and a fixture in their Housewives Fantasy Club. When retired Cubs star Jake Sims moves in across the street, the ladies are trying to set them up, but Alicia wants nothing to do with a bad boy. Jake just wants to prove he can raise his estranged daughter now that he has been granted temporary custody, despite his evil former mother-in-law's machinations. A romance wouldn't be prudent. Of course, one glance at Alicia, and the two decide that a one night stand before his daughter arrives will get each other out of their systems. Funny how things don't turn out like you plan...

Daughter Dani just wants to get her trip to Chicago over with so she can return to LA. As she attempts to annoy Jake at every turn, she keeps getting surprised when he isn't flustered. He also doesn't seem like the ogre granny Natta made him out to be, but fears that once he gets a girlfriend, she'll be a distant second in his life. When she befriends Alicia, she treats her as a confidante, happy to have a friend of her own. No one is more surprised than Alicia since kids and pets don't like her, but Dani and her goofy dog Kiwi certainly do. Alicia and Jake are secretly having their own fantasy club which quickly becomes reality. Will Dani be able to share her new friend with her father?

Halliday's romantic comedy streak continues with "Dinner First, Me Later?" revisiting the not so desperate housewives of Owl's Roost Road. Witty bantering, sizzling chemistry, and characters that remain consistent from novel to novel make Halliday a stand out.

This was one of the funniest books I've read in a while. It kept me entertained. I read it in a day I liked it so much. I never read the first book, Your bed or Mine? or whatever it's called, but I'm planning on buying it immediately.

seriously, Wonderful. Buy It!! Read it!! Love it!!!

Now I can't wait for another one of her books in the series, I hope she keeps going!

Alicia lives in her dream house, but life isn't so dreamy after her husband betrays her with someone else. After the divorce she keeps the house, on a nice cul-de-sac with the other members of the Housewives Fantasy Club. Every Saturday Alicia, Jen, Tish and Zada get together. On some of these Saturdays the talk gets racy as the women describe the fantasies they've had about men. Alicia's fantasy man from years past is now moving directly across the street from her aforementioned dream house. Things start heating up in the neighborhood.

Jake Sims is a retired baseball star who now does underwear commercials on television. He has a reputation as a ladies man, a bad boy. Alicia doesn't do bad boys, and is determined to stay away from him, even though he tells her he's reformed. Yet the allure is strong. Her friends try some matchmaking with the two of them that turns out badly. When Jake brings home his daughter from a previous marriage, and her dog, Alicia assures her twin brother this is the kiss of death. Neither children nor animals have ever liked her. There will be no relationship with Mr. Fantasy.

A one night stand--no holds barred, play out all your fantasies, never speak of it again--sounds like the sexual oasis both Alicia and Jake can deal with. When the oasis turns into a mirage they are both in for some romantic awakenings.

Danielle, Jake's daughter, likes Alicia, as does her dog. She thinks of Alicia as her friend and confidante. Dani knows nothing about her father's attraction to her new friend. Or that Alicia is just as attracted to Jake. After all, fantasy relationships are much easier, less messy, to handle than real life ones. No reason Dani needs to know about late night phone calls. Nothing is going to come from them, is it?

A fun, racy romp with characters you feel you know.

Armchair Interviews says: A great vacation read.

...tell an amazing story!

Alicia, a member of the Housewives Fantasy Club, has sworn off men. When her friends try to set her up with Jake Sims she wants nothing to do with it. Will she change her mind?

Candy Halliday can sure pen a story that keeps you laughing, all the while it deals with real life issues like betrayal and child custody. Candy sure can tell an amazing story!!

I admit I had passed by the book's predecessor, Your Bed or Mine, over and over again due to the title. I thought it would have too much sex in it and the title of this one turned me off as well, but due to the reviews- I decided to give it a try. It was WONDERFUL! It was all about relationships between friends, and a father reconnecting with his daughter. It was just perfect- not too mushy, not too sexy, just funny and perfect. I am online right now to order Your Bed or Mine and the other two older books by Candy Halliday. These sort of surprises makes me wonder what other excellent reads I have passed up. I know better than to judge a book by its cover, yet I almost did it again! Enjoy!!

I loved this book so much!! It's just as good as your bed or mine, what a great series you'll fall in love with the characters. I have my fingers crossed for a 3rd

Alicia Greene lives on a quiet cul-de-sac in a Chicago suburb and has a great little neighborhood full of women who consider themselves the "Housewives Fantasy Club". They meet every Saturday night, when the men in the neighborhood get together to talk sports and play poker. Then ex-baseball star Jake Sims moves across the street from Alicia and throws her for a loop. Jake was Alicia's first fantasy crush, and getting over him was hard, but now she has the real thing living and breathing in her neighborhood.

Years ago Jake had a short marriage that ended in disaster when his ex-wife took their young daughter and ran home to her mother. His ex may have been a model, but she led a dismal life and dies young. Jake decides to fight his mother in law for custody of Danielle, who is following in the footsteps of his ex-wife and wanting to be a model. When Jake is awarded temporary custody he needs to become a model parent -- fast.

DINNER FIRST, ME LATER? comes packed with humor as well as heartache. Danielle is a young girl who has felt unloved her entire life, and has been fed lies for as long as she can remember. As she grows from an angry teen, to a happy fun loving young woman, Candy Halliday brings happiness to her life, and to those around her. Danielle may be the most important priority in Jake's life, but he finds he has room for others as Alicia gets under his skin and becomes important to both the man, and his daughter.

This novel comes packed with punches. What looked like a light hearted beach read, took this reader on an emotional roller coaster that was not expected. Danielle may be a secondary character but she definitely stole this reader's heart. The ups and downs for Alicia and Jake are heartwarming, but Danielle's story definitely made this a book worth reading and reading over again for this woman.

Review Courtesy of LoveRomancesandmore

Alicia Greene lives in the sub-burbs of Chicago looks like Pamela Anderson and owns her a Real estate company and had a huge teenage rush on ex-Chicago cub player Jake Sims. The crush ended, her divorce is final, she now has great friends and everything is going fine until Jake Sims moves next door. This book is very good - a nice piece of chick-lit, Enjoy! Check out the Housewives Fantasy Club Series; Your Bed or Mine? and Dinner First, Me Later?.

I would also recommended ; Squeeze Play by Kate Angell, Causing Havoc by Lori Foster, My Favorite Witch by Annette Blair and my favorite ,See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson.

In Woodbury Park, the four friends (Zada Clark, Jen Marshall, Tish Jones, and Alicia Greene) make up the Housewives Fantasy Club though realtor Alicia is not married. Recently she sold a house in their cul-de-sac to retired Chicago Cub superstar Jake "The Rake" Sims; known for his underwear commercial. Zada thinks Alicia and Jake are a perfect pairing so she pushes them together over the objection of Alicia, who wants nothing to do with men having divorced her neurosurgeon husband Edward Carlton after learning he was gay.

Jake wants Alicia, but plans to avoid her as he knows he must behave if he is to gain permanent custody of his fourteen year old daughter Dani, whose mother died six months ago. He fears his martinet former mother-in-law will turn his offspring into a replacement for her daughter. As Jake watches his suburban steps, he and Alicia fall in love, but Dani comes first.

The latest Housewives Fantasy Club tale (See YOUR BED OR MINE?) is a fun lighthearted romantic romp with a serious undertone involving custody of a child. The lead couple is a wonderful duo dueling with their feelings as neither wants love at this time. The other club members play matchmakers while his too precocious discerning daughter is yanked in two directions by her father who just entered her life and her grandmother who has modeling plans for her. Readers will enjoy the latest secret fantasy culminating at Wrigley Field.

Harriet Klausner

I loved these characters! They're funny, caring, loving and hot!

From her confession to his asking her to "look at me" in the tub (wink wink to those that have read the book) to his daughter's issues....what a fun romp.

There aren't too many books that I'll keep to reread at some point, but this is one of the top 10 on my list.